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Saturday, February 04, 2017

Sunday Post: Welcome February (With February TBR Poll)

New to My Shelves: I couldn't pass up recent Kindle Deals when they popped up for two books on my wish list: China Dolls by Lisa See and A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay.

I also signed up for an upcoming book tour for Tessa Arlen's A Death By Any Other Name, the third in her Lady Montfort mystery series. I very much enjoyed the two earlier books and am excited to read the latest.

January in Review: I took a much needed break from blogging this past month, but I was reading. I finished 7 books (not including children's books), including 1 audio book, and none in the bunch was bad. It was a good mix too: a couple of nonfiction books, two fantasy novels, a graphic novel, a classic, and a fiction novel. Look for my reviews of each book in the near future.

January 2017 Reads:

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Monstress, Volume One: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden

The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman

I am trying to track the children's books I read this year as well, but may have missed a few at the very beginning of January. Here's what I remembered to log (many of which I read multiple times throughout the month, sometimes back to back):

Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers: A Collection of Classic Stories That Are "Just Right" for Young Learners by Liza Charelesworth

Flat Stanley: Flat Stanley Show-And-Tell, Flat Stanley! by Jeff Brown

Flat Stanley and the Very Big Cookie by Jeff Brown

The Princess in Black (#1) by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale & LeUyen Pham

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party (#2) by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale & LeUyen Pham

What I Am Reading: Earlier in the week, I began reading Margaret Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, which I am reading as part of a read a-long. I am also reading the third book in Tessa Arlen's Lady Montford mystery series set in Edwardian England called A Death By Any Other Name.

What I Am Listening To: I thought I would keep it light and try a historical romance on audio. I am listening to Julia London's The Devil Takes a Bride at the moment.

What I Am Watching: I re-watched the first season of Orphan Black this past month. It's a show that never gets old. The main actress does an amazing job, playing so many different parts. It's a science fiction show about clones and conspiracy. I have only seen the first two seasons, but want to re-watch the first two before diving back in and catching up. I also binge watched The Travelers, a Netflix show about a group of people from the future who have entered the bodies of recently dead people in present time and are trying to change avert the future.

This past month in movies, I got to see Hidden Figures, The Butler and The Imitation Game, all of which were very good historical films based on real people and events. If you haven't already, I highly recommend seeing each of them.

What's Going On Off the Blog: January was a very wet month in Southern California. It rained, and rained, and rained some more. Streets flooded, school districts were closed (although not my daughter's), and the winds caused a bit of damage in the area (fortunately not any for us). The snow on the mountain tops is a beautiful sight.

Even though I have not been blogging or around much this past month, life has gone on. I hurt my back while cleaning up spilled orange juice and ended up missing a week of work as a result. The doctor was very adamant in her orders to "rest and do nothing", repeating it several times as she stared me down to be sure the message sunk in. Sitting was impossible. I was most comfortable laying down or standing up--although the getting up and down was a problem. I still have some pain and discomfort and so have to limit my activities, but I am getting better day by day. One of my daughter's reports for school last month went something like "My mom broke her back. It hurts her a lot. She cannot play with me now." Mouse is now learning how to write narrative sentences in school, writing three sentences a night. It is fun to see what she comes up with.

It is Girl Scout cookie selling time, now through the first half of March. Mouse will be taking part in her first booth sale this Sunday. She's been out walking the neighborhood some, and I have to give a lot of credit to my coworkers for supporting her by buying cookies. If this keeps up, Mouse may just meet her goal!

Soccer started up again this weekend, and Mouse is excited to be playing again. We were able to spend some time at the park after as well. You'd think playing soccer would wear her out, but that girl never runs out of energy.

Tell me about what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your week? Do you have anything planned for this coming week?

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Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writerposes a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Read or Clean? Read or Bake? Read or Make Dinner? What would be your choice?

Why, reading, of course! Cleaning the house is much more fun with an audio book playing on my cell phone. My husband is the family cook and baker--and so reading would be my pick over those two activities any day. I am not good in the kitchen. Unless it's cleaning dishes, and even then I'd prefer to read. So, yeah, no competition there.

What about you? Which would be your choice?

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Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Sunday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow. While I will attempt to post my review that same month, I make no promises--it may go up the following month.

As I thought about which books to choose for this month's poll, I kept coming back to my book-related cozies. All three of these sound like great comfort reads, don't you think? I really need to settle in with a comfort read right now. I can't wait to curl up with whichever one of these you pick for me!

In Kate Carlisle's Books of a Feather, San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation of the man who has asked her to restore a book of Audubon drawings. Trouble seems to find Brooklyn at every turn in this cozy mystery.

On the other coast, in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, Terrie Farley Moran's Read to Death features Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield, owners of a bookshop cafe. Upon returning from a day outing, the women and their book club find their driver murdered. All suspicion falls on the book club members--could a killer really be among them? And if so, who?

Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flowers is the first in a new cozy series about a magical bookshop, where the books choose their readers. There to visit her not-as-ailing-as-she's-led-to-believe grandmother, Violet Waverly doesn't expect to find herself in the middle of a murder investigation with her grandmother as the prime suspect.

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Thank you for voting!I hope you all have a great week. Happy Reading!

The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimba, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and gives us all a chance to recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about.

76 comments:

I didn't know there was a third Tessa arlen coming out so I am really happy to see that. I've only read the first one but thought it quite good. And the Burning Page- another series I need to stay on top of. :)

I love Orphan Black! And sorry to hear about back- hope you have a quick recovery.

Maree - Thank you. I am feeling a bit better. I've had back problems off and on for years, unfortuantely. It just got the better of me this time. I think the cozies all sound great too--that's why I want you to help me chose what to read. LOL

Oh no, hope your back feels better. Isn't the new season of Orphan Black supposed to start soon, or did it already? I love that show. I liked The Travelers too. Wonder if there will be a 2nd season. Take care of yourself an have a great week!

Christy - Thank you. It's getting better each day. I'm not even sure when Orphan Black airs. I've never watched it live. Terrible, I know. I am glad you liked The Travelers too! I'm having too much fun discovering new shows on Netflix, I think. :-)

Oh no, is it girl scout cookie season? Luckily I usually do my grocery shopping at night, so I shouldn't have to walk past them, haha. I always feel so guilty not buying anything, especially since in my head I'm like, "I used to be you! I'm sorry! I know what it's like when people walk by without buying anything!"

Kristen - Thank you! We had our first booth sales yesterday. Mouse isn't too sure she liked it. LOL I think it was just too long of a spell for five year olds (3 hours). They did sell quite a few though, which is good. The girls did have fun being with each other though.

Oh no, I hope you feel better soon, Wendy. I've been wondering about you and figured you might be busy with work. I'm glad you've been reading, though. :) Looks like you've a great reading month last month, too.

Melody - Thank you. I'm getting there, although more slowly than I'd like. I am not as young as I used to be, I'm afraid. Work has been really busy as well, admittedly. I don't think this month will be quite as full with books, but I feel like I got a good start to the year. :-)

Ooo... I know ALL about backs and the Dr is right, though your instinct to keep moving is a sound one. And you're right - sitting is OUT. Hope you continue to make progress, though don't try to do too much too soon. Your January reads looked great - I hope you enjoyed Uprooted as much as I did. Hope this coming week is less painful! Take care. My Sunday Post - https://sjhigbee.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/sunday-post-5th-february-2017/

How very annoying about your back! So sorry, but guess the doctor's orders must be obeyed. Girl Scout cookies - boy, that brings back memories. Our daughter sold them for years, but truly, the best seller was my husband at his workplace. Those people bought cookies like there was no tomorrow. Ha!

I voted for the cozy I had heard the most about - good stuff. All looked fun. I want to read Tessa Arlen's books - met her last year at the mystery conference. I have her first book. Glad you took a break to refresh yourself, Wendy. Always good to read your thoughts though. Take care.

Kay - It is annoying. I still have to be careful, but it's definitely much better. I've sold the majority of the cookies at work, admittedly. Unfortunately, my work schedule doesn't provide my daughter with enough time to go out and sell in our neighborhood during the week like some of the other girls are able to in her troop. The challenges of being a working mom . . .

Thanks for voting! I'm anxious to see which one wins, although I would like to read all three. :-)

Sorry to hear about your back, I hope you feel better soon. You've got some interesting looking books up there. I read The Handmaiden's Tale years ago but parts still stick with me, its a pretty intense book. I hope you like it and have a great week.

I've been wanting to read A Portrait of Emily Price too. I see that you are a lover of children's lit just like me! I haven't read any on your list though. I just rediscovered my love of audiobooks and listened to quite a few so far. They keep me company as I cook, clean and fold laundry. Hope you enjoy all your new books.

I read the first of the Lady Montford books and liked it because of both the characters and the connection to the suffragette movement. I've requested this third installment from NetGalley, but somehow missed the second in the series.

Jenclair - Both Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson provide an interesting take on the time period the books are set in. So far, I don't see any need to read the second one before starting the third--so you should be okay. :-)

Brian - I won't read nearly as many this month most likely. I tend to start the year off with a bang and then quickly fall back into my four to five book a month routine--sometimes less. I don't really count the children's books, although I do read quite a few of those with my daughter.

The Handmaid's Tale is not a fast read for me, but I am liking it so far.

Ouch! I can relate to the back issues...even after recovering from back surgery years ago, I still manage to twist or hurt myself frequently. Usually doing something I shouldn't be doing, like moving furniture (small pieces, but yeah, that's not recommended! lol).

I loved the movie Hidden Figures, and hope to read the book. The Handmaid's Tale, both book and movie, were favorites.

Laurel-Rain - It seems like once you injure your back, your doomed to do it again and again for the rest of your life. That's been my experience anyway. It's been a while since my last incident though, so I think I managed pretty well in the between time. That's something, right?

I hope you are able to read Hidden Figures. So many great women worth recognizing and remembering.

I have to say I'm so glad I found your blog, Wendy (can't remember through what!) because you have a wonderful voice and great content :D

Anyway, I don't read nearly as much as I'd like because my life simply doesn't allow for it. I spend most of my reading time online in the form of articles, blogs and emails/comments. Right now I'm reading TO CLICK START HERE and am thinking to interrupt that to read THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE before I have no more renewals on it from the library :)

For your TBR, I will go by the cover (I'm such a cover gal) since their themes are somewhat similar, so I went with CRIME AND POETRY :)

Donna Marie - Thank you! That is very nice of you to say. :-) Finding time to read can be hard--I struggle with that too. Thank you for voting! I can't wait to see which book wins. I would like to read all of them, although I doubt that will happen this month.

Love that your back Wendy! And sometimes a blogging break is all we need. Good to have you back though. ;)Sorry to hear about your back. I’m glad it’s getting better.I’m working the nightshift this weekend. So I’m definitely not doing much! Tonight is the last one though. Have a great week and happy reading!

I'm sorry to hear about your back, I can relate. The weather has caused my arthritis to flare so I've been doing a lot of the resting as well. Your TBR books sound really interesting - not a genre that I'm usually drawn to but I'll check these out!

I'm sorry to hear about your back, feel better soon. I have Uprooted on my TBR. I try washing Orphan Black I couldn't get into it. I feel your pain with all the rain, it takes me forever to get to work, all the streets around my job flooded. What happen to It Never Rains in Southern California? LOL. Have a happy week.

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear you hurt your back. That sound so painful and difficult to get through. I hope you continue to heal and feel better soon. And, I'm sure Mouse is most anxious so she can play with you again! :) Good luck to Mouse as she sells the cookies. I'm sure she will meet her goal. And, as always can't wait to see what book you'll read as a result of the poll. I voted!

Iliana - Thank you. It hasn't been pleasant, but I'm much better now than I was thankfully. Mouse has been mostly patient with me during all of this. LOL We're half way to her goal so far. I'm going to be so tired of Girl Scout cookies when we are done. Haha

Sorry about your back :( I have multiple health issues that causes 24/7 back pain of varying degrees and I can certainly sympathize with you... I was AWOL for January too, except for a few days at the beginning. I had a flare-up that made it hurt to sit or type. I'm back now and happy to see you back too :) And yes, we had rain, rain, and more rain, but mostly gloomy, dark days that bummed me out.

I chose a book for you-- as I always do-- even though most of the time I haven't read them yet. I chose a book that I was considering for myself, so I hope you read it and report back on it here.

Rita - Thank you. I know you know all about back pain. I can't even imagine. I've had back problems off and on for a few years now, but not consistently, thank goodness. I feel for you, Rita. Every movement you make just about hurts. :-(

I am glad you are back too. We got even more rain these last two days, didn't we? I see some blue sky out right now.

Thank you for voting! I'm looking forward to all three, but I admit I have a favorite in the bunch. :-)

We'll see how long I keep tracking the children's books. Hopefully I can do it for the rest of the year. It's sure boosting my stats on Goodreads. Haha

Good for you for taking some time away from blogging but I am sorry to hear that you hurt your back and were not feeling well during your break. I was always scared of both of my daughter's papers when they were mouse's age. My daughter wrote a book about my husband sleeping all day and me being unemployed. Have a great week and enjoy the cookie sale!

Carole - Thank you! I needed a break. I think it's becoming a tradition for me to take it at the beginning of the year. I know what you mean about being scared of your daughters' papers when they were young. I worry about what comes out of her mouth too. LOL That's too cute about your one daughter's story. :-)

I was wondering why you suddenly stopped blogging for about two weeks. Now I know.... So sorry to hear that you hurt your back! I'm glad, though, that you followed your doctor's advice to the letter, and rested up. I really feel for you, Wendy. I know how back pain can affect any activity you might want to engage in. I don't know this from personal experience, but because my husband lives with nearly constant back pain, due to an injury he sustained several years ago.

I'm glad to hear that you're getting better by the day!! It's GREAT to have you blogging again!! <3 <3 :) :)

As usual, I am amazed and green with envy at your reading speed! SEVEN books in one month, plus a bunch of children's books!! You GO, girl!! Lol.

I see that you read "Uprooted", "Hidden Figures", and "The Burning Page" last month. Those three are on my Goodreads shelves, and I want to get to them SO bad!! I'm currently waiting for "Hidden Figures" to arrive, as I ordered it from Amazon just the other day. I've already seen the movie, which I GREATLY enjoyed!! I had NO idea that African-American women were involved in the space program!! SO happy about that!! The other day, I bought a copy of ESSENCE magazine, as they had published an article on the three actresses who played these brilliant, real-life female mathematicians.

How nice that Mouse is writing!! Her three sentences are so cute, too!!

Hope Mouse meets her Girl Scout cookies goal!!! GO, Mouse!!!! YAY!!!!

"The Handmaid's Tale" is another book I have been wanting to read for a while now..... I wish I had found out about this read-along, as I would have loved to have joined in.

Nice answer for the Book Blogger Hop question! You're SO lucky that your husband enjoys baking and cooking! My husband cooks simple things for lunch. (I do make the salad, though, lol.) During the week, I take a micowave dinner to work, along with some plantain chips. I have a dinner break from 6:30 to 7:00 PM every day, Monday to Thursday. On weekends, though, we have dinner out. Last night (it's already past 1:00 AM here) we drove down to Key Largo to eat at a restaurant called "Tower of Pizza". YUM, YUM!!! (We didn't eat pizza, however; he had a cheeseburger, and I had a Mahi Mahi wrap, plus Key Lime pie. SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!)

Yeah, READING IS KING!! (QUEEN, in our case, lol) I prefer to do mine with printed books, even though I'm as slow as the turtle in the story, "The Tortoise and the Hare" (don't quite remember if this is really the title, lol).

The cozy I picked was "Crime and Poetry". Not an easy decision, though, as all three books look good! The deciding factor for me was the words "magical bookshop", and I LOVED that the books get to choose their readers!! AWESOME!! So I just HAD to pick this one!

Thanks for sharing all of your bookish and non-bookish happenings, Wendy!! Wishing you the best as you recover from your injury!!

Maria - Thank you for your thoughtful comment! It's become sort of a tradition for me to take time off in January, after the end of the year rush. Kind of gives me a chance to reboot. The back issue didn't help any. I wasn't able to sit or use my computer for several days--and when I finally was able, for only short spurts. It's much better now though, so until my planned March break, all should be good. :-)

I am sorry your husband suffers from chronic back pain. That must be horrible for him. I have had back troubles off and on for several years now, but fortunately it isn't constant.

I hope you like Hidden Figures when you read it! It was very good. It's a part of our history that deserves much more attention than it's gotten.

Thank you for voting! I am looking forward to reading them all, although I likely won't be able to squeeze them all in this month. I wish though. :-)

Oh no, sorry that you hurt your back - glad you feel much better now. You definitely had a great January in reading. I am envious! I didn't read much but am trying to change that this month. Let's see how that goes.

Athira - Thank you. January was a good reading month. I've already slowed down some this month, so I don't think I'll be able to read as much. That always seems to happen when I have more than one book going at a time though.

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Contributors

At the age of five, Literary Feline (aka Wendy) was diagnosed as a fabulavore. Due to the low story content of movies and television, she has required a steady supply of books to provide her sustenance. She currently resides in California with her loving husband, adorable daughter, and two affectionate and sassy cats. Literary Feline has broadened her nutritional sources by reviewing books. Please note: Literary Feline is not a bibliovore. She's not eating the books for goodness' sake.